DL

DL,

You enlightened me today.  You are the first person I've ever heard use the word "northface" and not be referring to a very expensive, albeit apparently high-quality, article of outerwear.  Thank you.  I was thus able to appropriately describe by bikeride home from the Stone Arch Bridge this afternoon.

Oh, and thank you for your work on the back steps and under the bathroom sink.

Admirably,
Julie

Patricia

Dear Patricia,

Thank you for your thorough assistance with our taxes.  As you can well imagine, we are very grateful to have them done and very grateful to be receiving a refund from our dear Uncle Sam.  Your obvious dedication to the study of tax preparation laws and guidelines has certainly paid off (pun intended) for the Oostras - and it only took two hours and seventeen minutes to boot!

Thank you also for your proselytizing efforts - they were well recognized by my husband and I.  I did want to put your heart at ease and make it clear that we are on the same team, so to speak.  While we probably won't be stopping by your church - as you so graciously invited us to do - it's not because we're pagans.  Just the opposite in fact; we attend a different church here in Minneapolis.

I hope the rest of tax season isn't too busy for you. It was a pleasure doing business with you.

Sincerely,
Julie Oostra

P.S. Do you, by any chance, charge by the hour for your services?

Branson, MO

Dear Branson Missouri,

I regret to inform you that I cannot take advantage of your once-in-a-lifetime offer to come visit.  While I was persuaded by your lovely sales associate, my husband was not.  You see, he's Dutch, and according to my father, Dutch folks are known for their frugality.  So, while I was most definitely on board for this hardly-cost-us-a-thing-outta-pocket getaway, my husband was not.

Please extend my sincere gratitude to your sales representative once again for her willingness to try and make this vacation work. She was quite convincing, not to mention maternalistic and empathetic.  The lengths that she went to to try and make this amazing vacation a possibility for Kyle and I was admirable - and her love for the sights and sounds of Branson was clearly evident. I had no idea that Branson was the second most popular destination for first anniversary vacations!  As she said, "What could be more lovely that Missouri in August?"  Also, while I didn't have the heart to mention this to her on the phone, we're not really country music fans, but I was very excited to hear that there are a wide variety of performances to choose from in Branson that appeal to every taste.

As I write this, I'm hit with a pang of regret for missing this opportunity.  Perhaps I should have heeded your sales lady's advice and "asked for forgiveness instead of permission" of my husband.  But alas, it looks as though we will be spending our first anniversay this side of the Mason Dixon Line.

Regretfully,
Julie Oostra